Daily Schmankerl: Lewy to Chelsea logistics; Rodrigo on the radar; Lahm going to Madrid; and MORE!

Chelsea will have to dig deep (into its pockets) and ward off some strong contenders to get Robert Lewandowski (Evening Standard)

Chelsea has a quality roster that features Belgian wonder Eden Hazard and Willian among other stars, but the Blues are always looking for a leg up in the Premier League. As John N. Dillon covered here, Chelsea would face some serious competition from Paris Saint-Germain and (maybe? allegedly?) Real Madrid to bring in the Polish striker.

Chelsea will face a tough task to convince Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski to move to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea continue to be linked with a bid for the Poland international, who is thinking about leaving the Allianz Arena. But the 29-year-old would prefer to move to a club that is in the Champions League, a competition he has yet to win. Real Madrid remain the favourites to sign him as they look for another option to Karim Benzema.

Chelsea finished fifth in the table and only achieved Europa League status, which makes them a very unlikely destination for Lewandowski if his goal truly is to win the Champions League. In addition, while Benzema is not of the same class as Lewandowski, he will surely be more affordable as Lewandowski’s transfer fee would surge over €100 million.

Focus.de chimed in stating that the price tag Chelsea is willing to pay for the sometimes prickly Pole is €114 million.

Allegedly, Chelsea is ready to pay 100 million pounds for him, the equivalent of around 114 million euros. The Londoners are apparently ready to sell Alvaro Morata, who they got just one year ago for 66 million euros from Real Madrid. Over the past few months, Chelsea’s interest in Lewandowski has been repeatedly reported in England .

At BFW, we will throw our hats in the ring as well. Our own Tom Adams, still laces up the boots and if Lewandowski signs a transfer agreement for a one-day contract to play along side Tom in his beer league, the following incentives are on the table:

• I personally will make a $500 donation to Lewy’s charity of choice (not sure he will be able to resist that offer!)
• All of us - the entire BFW staff - will pledge to eat our dessert before our main course for a week

At a minimum, seeing Lewy berate Tom for a cross that is two inches off the mark would be well worth it. The ball is in your court Lewy!

Bayern Munich reportedly after Valencia striker Rodrigo (Marca)

File this to the folder that reads “Underwhelming potential replacements for Lewy”: Valencia’s Rodrigo Moreno is rumored to be on the wish list for Bayern Munich.

But it is acknowledged within the club that a move to Munich may be too good to turn down and Marcelino addressed the matter with realism before his side’s season closer on Sunday. “He is a very important player, but this is football,” admitted Valencia boss Mateu Alemany. “The player has his opinion and then there is the club that owns his rights and others who want him.”

So how much would this cost?

A number of teams are keen on Rodrigo but Bayern are at the front of the queue having contacted Valencia general director Mateu Alemany, who is seeking 60 million euros for his star forward.

Hard pass from me. One interesting thing, though, is that Rodrigo is the cousin of Bayern midfield maestro Thiago Alcantara. I mean, is there anyone in that family who can’t play? After all, Thiago is the son of the Brazilian former footballer and 1994 World Cup winner, Mazinho, and Thiago’s younger brother, Rafinha, plays for Internazionale.

Philipp Lahm sends cryptic tweet (Twitter - @philipplahm)

The former Bayern captain is headed to Madrid for a “special meeting.”

Arturo Vidal will be celebrating his birthday today (Twitter - @UEFAcom_de)

King Arturo turned 31 today and his future in Munich is probably questionable, but the man knows how to party, so wish him a happy birthday!

No word yet on whether those plans include Berni and/or Emma Bee.